Medical imaging apparatus providing AR-support

Abstract

Provided is a medical imaging apparatus having an AR-visualization module operably coupled to a camera and to a position determination module, which is adapted to create an AR-image based on an image received from the camera and an AR-overlay positionally registered with the image, and which includes a display interface adapted to transmit the created AR-image to a medical display.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A medical imaging apparatus, comprising:
 a radiation emitter movably supported by a first support structure along a first annular pathway; 
 a radiation detector movably supported by a second support structure along a second annular pathway; 
 a camera positionally coupled to and moving together with either the radiation emitter or the radiation detector, and oriented towards an area surrounded by the first and the second pathway; 
 a position determination module adapted to determine the spatial position of a radiation beam stretching between the radiation emitter and the radiation detector; 
 an AR-visualization module operably coupled to the camera Band to the position determination module, which is adapted to create an AR-image based on an image received from the camera and an AR-overlay positionally registered with the image, and which includes a display interface adapted to transmit the created AR-image to a medical display, 
 wherein the AR-overlay comprises a virtual representation of the field-of-view of the imaging apparatus comprising the radiation emitter and the radiation detector. 
 
     
     
       2. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the AR-overlay comprises at least one of the following:
 a radioscopic-image obtained from the radiation detector; 
 a reconstructed-radioscopic-image calculated from currently acquired and/or previously acquired radioscopic-images of the patient; 
 a 2D-image of the patient; 
 a 3D-image-dataset of the patient; 
 a 2D-image calculated from a 3D-image-dataset of the patient; 
 a virtual 2D- or 3D-representation of anatomical structures of a patient; 
 a virtual 2D- or 3D-representation of a predefined planning geometry; 
 a virtual representation of the radiation beam; 
 a virtual representation of an area of the patient's skin and/or a volume of the patient's body that is intersected by the radiation beam. 
 
     
     
       3. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the radiation emitter and the radiation detector allow for eccentric imaging by being movably supported in a manner independent from each other. 
     
     
       4. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the first support structure and the second support structure are formed by a first support ring and a second support ring, respectively. 
     
     
       5. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the position determination module is operably connected to at least one of the following:
 at least one first position sensor for determining the spatial position of the radiation emitter; 
 at least one second position sensor for determining the spatial position of the radiation detector; 
 at least one sensor adapted to sense the shape of a collimator assigned to the radiation emitter. 
 
     
     
       6. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an undercarriage having a plurality of wheels, which allows the imaging apparatus to move over the ground. 
     
     
       7. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising one or more display devices connected to the display interface, wherein at least one of the display devices is:
 positionally coupled to and moving together with either the radiation emitter or the radiation detector, and oriented away from the area surrounded by the first and the second pathway; 
 freely movable with respect to the medical imaging apparatus. 
 
     
     
       8. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the medical imaging apparatus is adapted to be transferred into a transport configuration, in which the display interface transmits an image showing an area of an operator's field of view that is obscured by the imaging apparatus during transport. 
     
     
       9. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the display is moved together with either the radiation emitter or the radiation detector to a substantially horizontally position to show the area of the operator's field of view that is obscured by the imaging apparatus during transport to the operator. 
     
     
       10. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the AR-visualisation module creates an AR-image with the AR-overlay containing information for assisting in moving the medical imaging apparatus. 
     
     
       11. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , adapted to control an initial size, initial shape and/or initial spatial position of the radiation beam in accordance with a pattern recognition procedure performed on an image that is provided by the camera. 
     
     
       12. A method comprising:
 determining, using a position determination module, the spatial positon of a radiation beam stretching between a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, the radiation emitter being movably supported by a first support structure along a first annular pathway and the radiation detector being movably supported by a second support structure along a second annular pathway; 
 acquiring an image via a camera that is positionally coupled to and moving together with either the radiation emitter or the radiation detector and oriented towards an area surrounded by the first and the second pathway; 
 creating, using an AR-visualization module operably coupled to a camera and to the position determination module, an AR-image based on the image acquired from the camera and an AR-overlay positionally registered with the image, wherein the AR-overlay comprises a virtual representation of the field-of-view of an imaging unit comprising the radiation emitter and the radiation detector; and 
 presenting the AR-image that is based on the image received from the camera and the AR-overlay. 
 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 12 , comprising the steps of:
 positioning the radiation emitter along the first annular pathway, and the radiation detector along the second annular pathway, such that the radiation beam stretches between the radiation emitter and the radiation detector. 
 
     
     
       14. A program, logic stored in a memory device of a computer that when running on the computer or when loaded onto the computer, causes the computer to perform a method; comprising:
 determining, using a position determination module, the spatial positon of a radiation beam stretching between a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, the radiation emitter being movably supported by a first support structure along a first annular pathway and the radiation detector being movably supported by a second support structure along a second annular pathway; 
 acquiring an image via a camera that is positionally coupled to and moving together with either the radiation emitter or the radiation detector and oriented towards an area surrounded by the first and the second pathway; 
 creating, using an AR-visualization module operably coupled to a camera and to the position determination module, an AR-image based on the image acquired from the camera and an AR-overlay positionally registered with the image, wherein the AR-overlay comprises a virtual representation of the field-of-view of an imaging unit comprising the radiation emitter and the radiation detector; and 
 presenting the AR-image that is based on the image received from the camera and the AR-overlay. 
 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the AR-overlay contains at least one of the following:
 a radioscopic-image obtained from the radiation detector; 
 a reconstructed-radioscopic-image calculated from currently acquired and/or previously acquired radioscopic-images of the patient; 
 a 2D-image of the patient; 
 a 3D-image-dataset of the patient; 
 a 2D-image calculated from a 3D-image-dataset of the patient; 
 a virtual 2D- or 3D-representation of anatomical structures of the patient; 
 a virtual 2D- or 3D-representation of a predefined planning geometry; 
 a virtual representation of the radiation beam; 
 a virtual representation of an area of the patient's skin and/or a volume of the patient's body that is intersected by the radiation beam. 
 
     
     
       16. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the radioscopic-image obtained from the radiation detector is a currently acquired and/or a previously acquired radioscopic-image, wherein the virtual 2D- or 3D-representation of anatomical structures of a patient are of pathological structures of the patient, and/or wherein the virtual 2D- or 3D-representation of a predefined planning geometry contains a trajectory, a target point and/or an entry point for an instrument. 
     
     
       17. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the first and second support rings are rotatable around a common axis of rotation. 
     
     
       18. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the wheels allow the imaging apparatus to move with respect to a patient table provided separately to the medical imaging apparatus. 
     
     
       19. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the freely movable display device comprises AR-spectacles. 
     
     
       20. The medical imaging apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the information includes dimensions of the medical imaging apparatus in a moving direction and/or a distance of an obstacle to the medical imaging apparatus.